The present invention relates generally to locking devices for trailer hitches to deter the unauthorized towing of a trailer to which the hitch is attached, and more particularly, to a locking device which closes the socket portion of the trailer hitch and has an integral locking means to deter the tampering or removal therefrom.
Standard trailer hitches, such as those used for boat and car trailers, campers, and the like, utilize a socket for engaging a standardized ball joint mounted on a towing vehicle. Such standard trailer hitch sockets are manufactured to receive most standard ball joint sizes to permit interchangeability between various trailers and towing ball joints. However, due to this interchangeability, it is possible for an unauthorized person having a standard ball joint mounted to a vehicle to hitch up an unattended and unattached trailer and tow the trailer away with any associated cargo it may carry.
Locking devices have long been employed to prevent or deter the theft of unattended and unattached trailers. However, while such locking devices can be a deterrent, the locking devices of the prior art are particularly unsuited for preventing or greatly deterring the theft of an unattended and unattached trailer by a motivated thief. Particularly, the locking devices of the prior art utilize easily accessible standard padlocks for mounting the locking device to the trailer hitch. Easily accessible padlocks allow thieves the opportunity to cut the padlock shackle with, for example, a metal saw or bolt cutters or allow thieves to possibly break the padlock off the locking device so that it can be removed from the trailer hitch. While several products have attempted to address this issue, none have fully addressed the issue to the extent necessary.
A coupler locking device typical in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,055 issued on May 20, 1975 to Dale F. Vuillemot, which discloses an elongated plate having a plug which closes at least a portion of the opening in the trailer hitch socket and a bar which can be positioned over the trailer hitch and locked in place so that the socket portion or the trailer hitch is contained between the bar and the elongated plate. However, the ""055 patent locking device utilizes a standard padlock to lock the bar with respect to the plate. Therefore, an unattended trailer utilizing the locking device of the ""055 patent is susceptible to theft if the accessible padlock is broken or cut off thereby allowing the unauthorized removal of the locking device.
An attempt to prevent access to the padlock used in such couple locking devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,569 issued on Feb. 27, 1979 to Larry W. Dilk, which discloses a locking device having a frame and cover which define a closure for sheltering the locking plates and the padlock to prevent tampering with the padlock or locking plates. However, although access to the padlock is limited compared to the prior art, the padlock is still accessible to a thief for breaking, cutting, or tampering therewith so as to remove the locking device from the trailer hitch.
The locking device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,832 issued on Jul. 17, 1984 to Walter C. Avrea et al. attempts to utilize a locking means other than a padlock. The ""832 patent discloses a lock module which receives and locks therein essentially all of the extending ends of both the pivot pin and the retaining pin of the coupling guard to preclude unauthorized pivotal movement of the coupling guard. However, while a padlock is not utilized, the locking module is not integral with respect to the locking device and continues to be accessible. A thief could tamper with the locking module, attempt to break off the lock module from the guard, or cut the accessible retaining/pivot pins to permit removal of the locking device.
The locking device of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices by providing a device for closing the socket of a trailer hitch having an integral locking means.
This object is achieved through providing a device for closing the socket of a trailer hitch, generally called a coupler lock, generally comprising a locking bar and a base having a plug member, a locking bar-receiving aperture, and an integral locking means for lockingly engaging the locking bar within aperture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a coupler lock having an integral locking mechanism to deter the tampering with or removal of the locking mechanism and removing the coupler lock from the trailer hitch.